In less than a month I will be calling Guyana home. The odds and ends that I need to accomplish before that happens seem to be never ending. The most daunting task – PACKING. Sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor with stacks of clothes, books, and ‘stuff’ around me I contemplate what items are really necessary. Part of being in the Peace Corps is living the life of those you are serving. I am not planning on leaving all the luxuries of home behind; in order to help others I have to be able and helped. But at the same time I really have to consider what can I live without.
I have a list, I have suggestions from past volunteers, I have other people’s lists. Now it is time to decide what the necessities of MY life are. What do I need in order to find success on this new journey in this new home. I will bring clothes and shoes. I will pack a can opener and a good knife. I will cherish pictures of family and friends from home. A few books will find their way into my bag to help pass the time. But when all is said and done I will have two bags, and leave behind a room of the ‘un-necessities’ to collect dust.
The unexpected leaves me at a loss for how to prepare. The ‘I don’t knows’ out number the ‘I knows.’ I can state simple facts like, “Guyana is hot and humid.” But really what good does that do me other than I can leave the winter parka at home. I don’t exactly know where I will be working, I don’t know what my house will look like, I don’t know the town I will be living in, I don’t know… I do know that I will be happy with any roof over my head, I do know to pack comfortable shoes, and I do know that with patients and flexibility the unknowns will figure themselves out.
If you are curious click to view: ROUGH PACKING LIST
Discussion
No comments yet.